McLaren need to race in mistake-free arena

When McLaren Mercedes loses a second consecutive FIA Formula One world
championship, they will have their mistakes to blame, not, as passionate
if delusional fans would have it, an FIA conspiracy to promote Ferrari.
For a company with 1,000 ...

When McLaren Mercedes loses a second consecutive FIA Formula One world
championship, they will have their mistakes to blame, not, as passionate
if delusional fans would have it, an FIA conspiracy to promote Ferrari.

For a company with 1,000 employees devoted to putting two cars on
track and masterminding them through 18 races, McLaren has made an
interesting number of mistakes in recent months, including those that
lost constructors' and drivers' titles last year.

Whoever makes the decisions, the most visible team member in any racing
outfit is the driver. He faces the music for most on-track mistakes.
It's his feedback and expertise that drive tire decisions. It's his
choices about pit-lane red lights and passing attempts that make or
break a result.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finds himself on the bad end of a decision to
cut a chicane in Belgium. He gained an advantage and was penalized. Poor
timing -- the events happened in the final two laps of the race -- cost
him victory.

That his team sought the opinion of race director Charlie Whiting about
Hamilton's ctions before the end of the race indicated they sensed
they were in the wrong. Whiting, of course, could tell him he thought
the move was all right, as he did. Problem was, it wasn't his call to
make. Race stewards were charged with seeing that racing regulations
were followed and they determined the advantage Hamilton gained was
not conceded as the spirit of the regs would have it, so Hamilton was
penalized.

The rule in question says the driver's job is to keep the car on the
track during a race. Might seem vague but does it need to say more?

In the swing of things, a few points as comfort zone in the drivers'
title chase were lost. The Englishman stands one point ahead of
Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari for the final four races of the
season, all flyaway events in exotic locales. While Hamilton says he
must not make any more mistakes -- an interesting trick of consciousness
that tends to help us make more mistakes -- and he says he is confident
he can win a championship this year.

Perhaps he can. Perhaps he can't.

But if his team take the position they shouldn't be held accountable
for mistakes then go to the expense and the distraction of attempting
to reverse stewards decisions that are not subject to appeal, they make
another, more harmful mistake indeed.